She went upstairs and decided to dress early. She wasn’t hungry this morning anyway.

She took her time getting ready and fixing her hair and makeup. Then she went to check in on Angelica, who was already awake. She dressed the little girl and packed her bag for preschool.  Then she called Kit to confirm the agenda for the day. Kit was to pick Angelica up from preschool and baby-sit for a few hours. Tina didn’t like asking Kit to do this, but Bette had confided that it meant a lot to Kit to be with Angie as much as possible. Still, Tina had been quietly researching nanny agencies to find some more permanent help. She hadn’t broached the idea with Bette yet, but she intended to.  As always, she felt she needed to approach Bette in just the right way.

Tina gave Angelica a yogurt to eat while she sat down and checked her messages. Nothing, no text or e-mail from Bette. Forget this – I’m not going to wait around all morning, she thought, annoyed. She rang Bette’s cell.  No answer.  She punched out a terse message – Where are you? I’m home for ten more minutes. – and waited, playing a half-hearted game of I Spy with Angelica while the girl finished her yogurt.  No Bette.  Oh, well.

Tina tried to keep herself from getting more annoyed, but she didn’t appreciate Bette just disappearing without a word.  It was inconsiderate.  All kinds of angry thoughts clouded her mind as she hefted Angelica up, grabbed her bag, and went for the door.  Just as she opened it, Bette was pushing it open on the other end, looking tired and irritable herself.

“Hey,” they said in unison.

“Where have you been?” Tina asked, letting her irritation show.

Bette lifted up a pink box Tina recognized as one from her favourite bakery.  “I was getting you breakfast. You know, those muffins you like. I just decided to go get you some this morning. I thought I could beat the traffic, but…”  Bette pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Sorry.”

Tina tilted her head sideways and gave Bette a sympathetic look. How could she have been angry with this woman to begin with, who had gone to so much trouble just to give her a nice morning?